St. Thomas begins season with nationally televised win over California’s De La Salle

St. Thomas Aquinas receiver Marcus Rosemy passes Dwyer's Juju Rincon on his way to a touchdown during the first half of their 7A regional final on Nov. 23, 2018. Rosemy had a touchdown catch in St. Thomas' win over De La Salle on Friday. (Michael Laughlin / Sun Sentinel)

The Raiders took care of business, beating California’s De La Salle 24-14 in a game televised nationally on ESPNU.

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“I thought was played with resilience tonight” St. Thomas coach Roger Harriott said by phone. “We have plenty of room for improvement, but tough play prevailed. This was a gut check and character game to build on moving forward. More importantly, we’re blessed to escape this game with a win and free of any major injuries.”

Sophomore quarterback Zion Turner, making his first career start, accounted for all three of St. Thomas’ first-half touchdowns. Turner threw two touchdown passes and ran in one 11-yard score. He finished the game with four completions on nine attempts for 100 yards.

“He’s a competitor,” Roger Harriott said in a postgame interview with ESPN. "He’s poised, his teammates believe in him. He has a very bright future ahead, and I’m looking forward to him doing some extraordinary things in the future. His composure and leadership skills are outstanding. I’m really proud of him. He’s come a long way.

“It was a big catch,” Harriott said. “We felt like we had that one-on-one battle and it would give him an opportunity to make a play, and he did.”

Colby Dempsey, who transferred from Dwyer in the offseason, had a pair of big plays on defense late in the game. The senior defensive back picked up a fourth-down fumble and returned it inside the De La Salle 30-yard line late in the fourth quarter. The turnover led to a field goal from junior Noah Botsford, giving the Raiders a 24-14 lead. Dempsey later intercepted a pass to end De La Salle’s final drive.

Linebacker and Florida commit Derek Wingo, also a Super 11 pick, was named GEICO player of the game after notching 10 tackles and one sack.

“He’s an extraordinary player,” Harriott said. “He feeds off his teammates. He’s extremely charismatic and he’s a family-oriented guy. He wants to make sure he’s doing the right thing for his team. He’s extremely selfless, and it shows on the field.”

Also late Friday

MIRAMAR 25, NORLAND 10: Dewrell Murdock threw three touchdown passes and Timothy White had a pair of interceptions as the host Patriots downed Miami Norland in the season opener for both schools.

White’s two picks were part of five turnovers forced by Patriots (1-0), evidence that the “Darkside” defense is alive and well. The Patriots got all the insurance they would need on a special teams play to open the second half as Desmond Reid returned the kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to put Miramar up 19-2.

White’s first pick near midfield in the first quarter, which he returned to the Norland 10, set up the first score of the game. Two plays later, Murdock connected with Jacarvis Alexander from 9 yards out to put the Patriots up for good with 1:21 left in the first quarter.

Alexander and Murdock also connected for a touchdown in the waning moments of the second quarter. On second-and-16 from the Vikings 28, Murdock hit Alexander down the sidelines for the score to push Miramar out to a 13-2 lead.

SOUTH PLANTATION 24 CYPRESS BAY 14: Sparked by a relentless defense that forced three turnovers, including two for touchdowns, the host Paladins knocked off the Lightning for coach Cecil McNair’s first win.

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“We believed in ourselves and played assignment football, that’s what we preached all week,” said the first-year coach. “The guys believed in each other and believed in what I’m teaching them and that’s why the defense played this way tonight.”

Clinging to a 10-0 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, Mekhi Sera intercepted a pass and returned it 10 yards for the touchdown. On the Lightning’s next series, James Cleveland knocked the ball loose from tight end Michael Fahimipour and Dimari Holloway picked it up and returned it 30 yards for the score, giving the Paladins a 24-0 lead.